Toledo City Council Meeting - March 27, 2010

Notes from Sherry:

In attendance: Councilwomen Webb, Hicks-Hudson, Councilmen Ludeman, Waniewski, McNamara, Craig, Steel, Sarantou, Martinez, Collins, Copeland, Riley, Deputy Mayor Cruthers, Mayor Bell.



Item 134 – Appointment – Director of Inspection - 1st Reading.

Item 135 – Appointment – Executive Director of Youth Commission – Webb – I had a discussion with the Mayor – he makes an appointment – moving to put together Youth Commission – each Council person to appoint a person – names have been submitted – should be a voting member of the board. McNamara – yes, Steel's Committee. Riley – agrees with Webb, same questions – wait to address this at a later date. Steel – good – meeting in May. Webb - constraints. Collins – no resume. Waniewski – none provided. Cruthers – will be provided. To Youth, Parks & Recreation Committee.


Item 147 – Zone change at4340 Heatherdowns Blvd. (Approved 5 – 0) – passed – all voting yes.


Item 121 – MJCTC for Magna Modular Systems in North Cross, $7M expansion, 124 jobs, 40% tax credit, 8 years – Martinez – this has my full support – 700K from budget? Cruthers – not correct. Martinez – how much is it? Cruthers – take care to move this forward. (No answer to Martinez's question. SZ) Ludeman – agrees with Mr. Cruthers – expand. Passed – all voting yes.


Item 127 – Expenditure to TMACOG for 2012 membership dues, $55,980 General Fund – passed – all voting yes.


Item 136 – Accept surplus funds from natural gas aggregation program, deposit into interest bearing escrow account – passed – all voting yes.


Item 137 – Lease for Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center at Aurora Gonzalez Community Center, 5 years + 2 options, $1/per year – passed – all voting yes.


Item 138 – Disappropriate unspent 33-35 Year CDBG funds & reappropriate for 37th Year CDBG Fund, $927,694 – Craig – Thanks for the support on this – it will help with activities – passed – all voting yes.


Item 139 – Appropriation for paved access drive to sludge lagoons for Water Treatment, $90,000 Water Bond Fund – Steel – At Agenda Review, pointed out that this needed implementation – to be addressed – there was no response. D. Welch - It is in the Master Plan, should have asked for more. Steel – When? D. Welch – at the end - 1st Reading.


Item 140 – Appropriation for 1,000' water main for loop at Collins Park Water Treatment Plant , $85,000 Water Bond - 1st Reading.


Item 141 – Appropriation for trucks, vans, backhoes and trailers for Water Distribution, $1,500,000 Water Replacement - 1st Reading.


Item 142 – Appropriation for drainage improvement projects at various locations, $390,000 Storm Water Fund - 1st Reading.


Item 143 – Agreement with County, Metroparks, and Sylvania Recreation for University Parks Trail, $40,000 match CIP – passed – all voting yes.


Item 144 – Informal bids for demolition of balance of Acme Building in Marina District, option by Dashing Pacific – Craig – Amended – down to 35K – removes threshold for nonformal bid – proposal to the people that worked there – takes away Municipal Code. Collins – Bidding situation. Craig – give it to the people who have already done this. Webb – Point of Order legal question - (McNamara – Mr. Collins has the floor.) Administration – there is a section in the Charter that compiles bids to be taken – 40K is the break off point - Amendment is before you with the legal way to engage a contractor. Collins – Are we holding the 35KM number? Administration – No. Collins – Held at 35K, OK – this should go back to Council. Hicks-Hudson – Why do we have an amended amount? Is it going through the back door? D. Welch – Please drop down (amendment). Hicks-Hudson – Shouldn't we be locked into a certain group of folks? Steel – Can we have copies of documentation for the City etc.? Administration – We respect the prevailing wage. Sarantou – Bid – two months? Administration – Yes – get building down. Sarantou – Urgency. Administration – Maritime Museum to go in place of the Acme Building. Slow Roll - No – Webb, Copeland, rest yes – amendment passed (35K). Craig – move to 1st Reading. Steel – hold for two weeks. Slow Roll – Yes – Steel, Webb, Copeland – no – Riley, Waniewski, Martinez, Craig, Ludeman, McNamara, Sarantou, Hicks-Hudson, Collins. Motion failed. Passed – no - Steel, Webb, Copeland – yes – Riley, Waniewski, Martinez, Craig, Ludeman, McNamara, Sarantou, Hicks-Hudson, Collins.


Item 145 – Accept JAG for Toledo CIRV (Community Initiative to Reduce Violence) reduce gun violence, $50,000 – Webb – Why are we taking this out of Committee? Collins – issue of correction – not enforcement – goes through UT. Webb – Responsibility is your position – I've been told, Grant dollars coming your way – don't hold it up. Collins – he hasn't received reports on the study - see what money is being spent on. Martinez – Agrees with Webb – moving for suspension. Steel – Slow roll. Copeland – Is there a reason why we haven't received a report? Mayor Bell – not a lot of liability. Representative from the Police Department – Boston model gang violence – following closely why particily substantiate it – provide some of this project – approve use of dollars, support ordinance. Collins – he goes along with engineering passage – we need to know what this entails – 50K isn't all for software - Representative from the Police Department – No, administration fees tied to this – tied to the gang unit. Cruthers – Done when he wasn't Deputy Mayor. Steel – part of getting ten year is attracting dollars. Representative from the Police Department – Getting the most out of the money (gangs). Steel – Slow roll with drawl. Passed – all voting yes.


Item 146 – Contract with Lott Industries for seasonal and temporary positions for Parks & Recreation, 1 year + options – passed – all voting yes.


Item 148 – SUP for additional gasoline sales to existing convenience store at 1049 Western Ave. (Approved 5 – 0) – passed – all voting yes.


Item 149 – Zone change at 5720 Secor Road for Washington Local Schools (Approved 6 – 0) – Waniewski – school lot has been reduced in size. Passed – all voting yes.


Item 150 – Amend SUP for scrap and salvage operation at 5270 N. Detroit Ave. for Omnisource (w/o Recommendation 6 -0) – Webb – feels Omnisource has done a decent deal. Passed – all voting yes.


Item 151 – Resolution – Vacate alley bounded by Page, Peck,Walnut, and Cherry – adopted – all voting yes.


Item 126 -Approve 2012 – 2016 CIP Plan, transfer $11,949,054 to General Fund, appropriate $6,310,237 projects – Waniewski – amend, change two things – 1) 450K to 400K 2) District Sylvania Ave. program, 50K – small business, neighborhoods in back of businesses – makes a nice corridor. Cruthers – Supports amendment. Webb – worked on this along with Councilman Riley – our needs are different. Steel – Tell me the boundary on Sylvania. Waniewski – to Shrater Tire/Upton Ave./CSX tracks – would not go East of Jackman. Riley – Make Sylvania Ave. what it was. Collins – his amendment will hold the CIP dollars for 6 months - what are the positive and negative information for good decisions – too many unknown facts - preserve CIP, then go forward. Cruthers – Money is approved, but not spent. Collins – Doesn't support Chief Diggs – finds this disingenuous – shouldn't monitor video 24/7 – check hot spots when crimes occur - we have a have tool to use. Webb – go all the way or halfway – support Cruthers and the Police Department. Ludeman – Supports Chief – move forward – but thinks like Collins – high profile incident in FL – tapes could be helpful – get moving. Cruthers – Two mobile units? Representative from the Police Department – Yes. Martinez – Likes concept (compares to automated trash cans) – too new, too much money – supports Chief. Sarantou – We've had two meetings about the cameras – offers the Police Department a tool – we are safer when it works – technology in other places in the Country – move forward. Steel – compares system to LITF – adds to cameras – right for the City – this program needs to succeed – needed expenditure – 6 more months would only extend this further. Copeland – people are scared about this – safety issue – slow them down a little bit. Waniewski amendment – yes, support – no, don't support – No, Collins, rest yes. Motion passed. Collins amendment – yes – Riley, Steel, Collins -no – Waniewski, Martinez, Craig, Ludeman, McNamara, Sarantou, Hicks-Hudson, Copeland, Webb – motion failed. Vote -passed – all voting yes.


Last Call:


Ludeman – Litter on the Trail (at 3:20, on my way in), right near the main entrance on the Trail. Congratulations to the Whitmore Panthers – tremendous season – hope the Buckeyes are champions.


Martinez – Will hold meetings next week move money, compliance with construction.


Steel – Library Village – calls about hanging tags on the doors – violations? What are they about? Get information. Cruthers – check on this, could be for work on property – at-a-boy tag?


Waniewski – Meeting of Intergovernment Committee next Thursday at 1:30. Meeting at Grace Church on this Thursday.


Webb – (To Steel) follow up letter with tags - offer assistance. Resolution for Governor Kasich to keep money from from the selling of Raceway Park in Toledo. Thursday Steering Committee meets at the YMCA at 4 PM.


McNamara – Special Meeting Thursday at 4PM, moved to 2PM.